Struggle in Russia

Golitsyn's unhappiness became more serious when Arkady welcomed him on behalf of Count Vladimir, because he felt that he was also a marquis, a head higher than Count Vladimir in terms of title, and a lower birth than the other. The tsar's illegitimate son is nice to hear, but this illegitimate son only sent a secretary to receive him.

At this moment, the bad temper that Marquis Golitsyn had developed in the upper class of St. Petersburg came up again, and he felt that Count Vladimir was very rude and disrespectful. For a moment, he wanted to turn around and leave, thinking how could Prince Golitsyn's grand-nephew suffer such a useless attitude!

It's just that Golitsyn was not arrogant after all. He knew that it would be easy to leave, but the consequences of not completing the task entrusted by Mr. Constantine would be very serious. The Golitsyn family has been in decline for the past few years, and there is a vague feeling of decline. If he does not quickly revive the family reputation, the entire family will disappear in ten or eight years.

It's not that Golitsyn has a strong sense of family responsibility, but that he has already experienced the feeling of worsening day by day. Since the death of Marshal Golitsyn, their family has become more and more marginalized in St. Petersburg. Being used to being a master, he felt very tormented.

So he desperately wanted to revive his family reputation, not for others, but for himself. He wanted to become the darling of the St. Petersburg aristocratic circle again, not the passerby like he is now.

So Golitsyn patiently told himself: "Today's humiliation will one day be returned exactly as it is!"

Yes, he already held a grudge against Count Vladimir, and vowed to give this guy some color as soon as Nicholas I kicked his legs.

Of course, he remained calm on the surface, and just chatted with Arkady one after another: "Your Excellency, the count seems to be very busy with official duties! Still dealing with official duties at such a late hour, you are really a pillar of the country!"

Arkady felt a haha ​​in his heart, and said to himself, "I'm dealing with a bloody official business. If that guy drinks two more sips, I'm afraid he won't even be able to write his own name. He's dealing with a woolly official business."

Of course, this one also said perfunctorily with a smiling face: "You are welcome, Your Excellency the Earl really can't get away, so I can only trouble you for a long time, and he is very sorry..."

Golitsyn would not believe this kind of nonsense. He snorted coldly in his heart, but smiled on the surface: "No, I was also idle, and suddenly remembered that Count Vladimir was also in Bucharest, in this strange city. If I have a familiar friend, I would naturally want to visit, but I was being abrupt when I said it!"

While talking nonsense about Golitsyn, he cautiously probed: "I heard that Your Excellency the Earl has encountered some troubles recently. Is the relationship with the Governor's Mansion not very harmonious?"

Arkady is also human,

He has been carefully guarding against Golitsyn, and the other party's words sounded like a temptation. Although it was no secret that Count Vladimir was targeted and beaten by Alexei in Bucharest, he still wanted to cover it up. In order to bargain later, you can't show your timidity.

"No, these are all rumors. Your Excellency the Governor has always cared about the Earl. Even if they have differences, it is because of work. Generally speaking, the two sides get along very harmoniously without any problems!"

[I believe you big-headed ghost! 】

Golitsyn slandered again, feeling more and more that someone's secretary was full of nonsense and couldn't believe a word of it. Unwilling to give up, he tried again: "I heard that the Earl's financial situation is a bit bad?"

Arkady gave Golitsyn a weird look. He suspected that the big-eyed guy in front of him was not here to talk about cooperation, but to watch jokes. Otherwise, why would he always pick up which pot?

He immediately replied solemnly: "There is nothing, it is definitely a rumor!"

The more serious Arkady was, the more Golitsyn felt that the other party was guilty, and of course, the more he felt that this trip would never be in vain. So the two of them started chatting awkwardly with each other, until the completely new Count Vladimir reappeared half an hour later.

"Dear Maxim Mikhailovich, it's so good to see you in Bucharest! No matter what wind brings you here, don't let me know in advance!"

Looking at the enthusiastic Count Vladimir, you might think that he and Golitsyn have a very good relationship. But in fact, this was nothing more than hypocrisy. Back then in St. Petersburg, he and Golitsyn belonged to different camps, not to mention that they were intimate, but in fact they didn't even have many opportunities to talk.

Of course, these aristocrats are best at this kind of scene. No matter what they have learned from childhood or through precepts and deeds, they seem to change their faces. They can change faces when facing different people, so that you don’t know which face they have is real. .

Golitsyn was also very enthusiastic: "Haha, it's a great feeling to meet old friends in Bucharest, thousands of miles away, but the journey has suffocated me. I can't find it, this damn place is really driving me crazy! Dear Vladimir, how did you get used to this place? Anyway, I can't stand it, I started to miss St. Petersburg from the first day I went out !"

This last sentence was true, and it also brought back Count Vladimir's fond memories of St. Petersburg, which was a paradise compared with Bucharest.

"Who isn't!" Vladimir also sighed, "If it wasn't for His Majesty, I really don't want to come here. I can't get used to it, it's just driving me crazy!"

Looking at Count Vladimir's selfless and selfless devotion to the public, Golitsyn really wanted to laugh—everyone is a thousand-year-old fox, so don't be a monster, okay? You are still sharing your majesty's worries, really I don't know what kind of virtue you were in St. Petersburg?

But he didn't say it bluntly, he just smiled and sighed with concern: "Who said it wasn't? If it wasn't for serving His Majesty, I really don't want to come to this ghostly place!"

Now it was Count Vladimir's turn to think about it. He first looked at Golitsyn, who was "concerned about the country and the people", and then at Arkady next to him, as if he wanted to ask Arkady: " What did you say to this guy just now? Did you give him ecstasy, otherwise this guy would be so shameless!"

The two foxes laughed tacitly, both of them were full of disdain for each other, and Arkady, who was by the side, found it even more funny, because the hypocrisy of the two seemed to him to be extremely shameless, and he doubted that if they let this The two guys continue to talk nonsense, even God, the old man, will not stand it, and will directly kill these two shameless guys...